Monthly Archives: July 2009

He walked in simple reverence, through the tree lined path, out into the panoramic vista of Chichen Itza. El Castillo, the Temple of Kulkulkan, towered over the central portion of the ruins. The Castle, built upon the ruins of other pyramids, rose up commanding reverence and awe. It’s steps begging to be climbed, to be follwed to the top of the world. There was so much ancient power here that my creator could barely take it all in. It was a subtle power, one that spoke of immense strength and ancient roots. The entire area had this undercurrent running through it. He could feel a glimmer of what the ancients felt when they were here, living, working, praying on this ground. The same ground that was beneath his feet had been trod upon by millions of people, and below their footsteps were the footsteps of those who had created these buildings. Footsteps, blood, sweat, tears all spent on this ground, all part of the energy and driving force of this place.

He turned slowly around, taking in every stone of each structure. Every building was taken in, the sheer immensity of this site and the sizes of each structure was awe inspiring. Finally, his gaze rested on Juego de Pelota, the temple to the game. He made his way slowly across the dirt towards the massive court which idolized the game of the ancient Mayans. As he neared the structure he made his way slowly toward a set of steps which led up to the top of the temple along one of the long sides of the court. Kneeling down, he peered up the steps and saw the sun at the top, shining down the side of the temple. The sight caught his breath and pulled an unexpected offering of thanksgiving and awe from the core of his being.

He slowly stood up, noticing that he was standing arms length from the wall of this ancient stone temple. He could feel the coolness of the stone waving out to him as the building soaked up the suns power in exchange from the stark cold of the moon. He reached out slowly, with great reverence, towards the ancient stones. Every so gently he placed his palm on the cool, sparkling limestone. Suddenly he was there, concretely there at an ancient site of power. He was both in the present and the past. Connected, tethered by the pressure of his hand on the stones which had stood for thousands of years, he was in two times at once.

He could sense the Mayans paying respects to the game, playing gods as they moved the stars across the sky. He felt the footsteps of people around him on their way to the various temples and cenotes as they carried out their rituals and daily tasks. He felt the power of Kulkulkan as he slithered down the temple in the shadows of the equinox. The sounds of sacrifices made at the Cenote Sagrado as people made their pilgrimages from their distant homes, filled his ears. He also heard the sounds of tourists, snapping pictures, discussing the ruins and listening to the sounds of their shouts and hand claps reverberate from the walls of the buildings. And there he stood, stuck between times. The power of the past pulling him one direction while the reality of the present held him fast to his feet.

In that moment, those brief seconds lasting the eternity of time between present and past, his world was forever changed. His soul was marked from the experience of being rent between times. Anytime he was near ancient strength he could now see the past underneath the present, feeling and hearing those who had been there before as they went about their common experiences. This new found sight changed him, marked him as different. He could no longer ignore the wider world or fail to see the similarities between current and ancient times no matter how much “advancement” mankind had made.

“That is part of my problem,” he thought. “All these advancements and technology and stuff, but all I really want is to go back low tech. Drop all of these toys and advancements. Be a simple man, simply being. Not that I’m likely to get that anytime soon though.”

All he really wanted was to go off into the wilderness and simply survive. He didn’t know anything about building a log cabin, but somehow he knew that it would be something he could accomplish. The time it would take would be no problem, he’d have all day for the rest of his life to build his home, and cultivate his land. If only he could find a way to get out of the real world, to slip away into the wild. To return to the earth as a man in search of his life.